Core Question:
Why did Japan attack the United States at Pearl Harbor?
Author: William James Walton, Sr.
School: Wilby H. S.
District: Waterbury
Overview:
In this lesson, students will evaluate the circumstances that led to the Japanese attack on Pearl
Harbor on December 7, 1941, which led to the United States' official entry into World War II. The
majority of textbooks provide a few paragraphs to describe the diplomatic relationship between the
United States and Japan in the months leading to Pearl Harbor. In order to reach a greater in-depth
understanding, this "Opening Up the Textbook" lesson seeks to reveal the nuances of a text through
the method of comparison. Students will first be given their textbook account and be asked how might
the Japanese have presented this event to their students. Next, students will be given an excerpt
from a Japanese textbook, the information from which will provide a different perspective of the
events leading to the attack on Pearl Harbor. By the end of this lesson, students will be prepared to
analyze the differences between the two textbooks and to offer insights as to what may account for
both the similarities and differences between the two texts.
Document Summary:
Document 1 is the Japanese textbook excerpt that sets the stage for the diplomatic confrontation that
would take place between the United States and Japan in the months prior to Pearl Harbor. The
students will understand that Japan sought to reassert its hegemony in the Pacific as a result of being
pressured by western powers to disarm in the years following World War I.
Document 2 is the Japanese textbook excerpt that describes why, from the Japanese perspective,
Japan invaded Southeast Asia. The students will understand that the Japanese activity in Southeast
Asia was itself a response to pressures being placed on Japan by western powers seeking to halt its
further expansion into China.
Document 2 is the Japanese textbook excerpt that describes the events and conditions that prompted
Japan to attack the United States at Pearl Harbor. Students will understand that although both Japan
and the United States were openly working toward peace, Japan did not expect it to come to fruition
and thus initiated actions that would bring the United States into World War II.
Procedure:
Students will begin by reading the three paragraphs in their textbook describing the American
perspective on what led to attack by Japan on Pearl Harbor. Students will identify specific features of
the text that demonstrate that the U.S. official position on Japanese actions was designed to bring a
resolution to the conflicts in Asia. Next, the students will read the three excerpts from the Japanese
text. Students will be led in discussion by the teacher to dissect the various issues brought up by the
Japanese text to explain their actions leading to the attack on Pearl Harbor. Students will then
complete a t-chart comparing and contrasting the facts as presented by both the U.S. and Japanese
textbooks. Students will then complete a worksheet analyzing the U.S. text independently, and
analyzing both the U.S. and Japanese texts in synthesis. Depending on the level of the class,
students may also be required to write an expository essay explaining the discrepancies between the
two texts.
TEXTBOOK SELECTION
Although Japan and the United States had been allies in World War I, conflict over
power in Asia and the Pacific had been brewing between the two nations for decades prior
to 1941. Japan, as the area's industrial and economic leader, resented any threats to its
authority in the region. America's presence in Guam and the Philippines and its support of
China posed such a threat. Yet Japan relied on trade with the United States to supply muchneeded natural resources.
Trouble in the Pacific As war broke out in Europe, the Japanese Empire continued to
grow in China and began to move into Indo- china. President Roosevelt tried to stop this
expansion, in July of 1940, by placing an embargo on important naval and aviation
supplies to Japan, such as oil, iron ore, fuel, steel, and rubber. After Japan signed the
Tripartite Pact in 1940 with Germany and Italy, FDR instituted a more extensive embargo.
The embargo slowed, but did not stop, Japanese expansion as the Japanese were able to
secure the resources they needed within their new possessions.
In 1941, General Hideki Tojo (hi DEHK ee TOH joh) became the Japanese prime minister.
Known as "the Razor" for his sharp mind, he focused intently on military expansion but sought
to keep the United States neutral. Throughout the summer of 1941, Japan and the United States
attempted to negotiate an end to their disagreement, but with little success. Japan was bent on
further expansion, and the United States was firmly against it. Finally, in late November 1941,
Cordell Hull, the U.S. Secretary of State, rejected Japan's latest demands. Formal diplomatic
relations continued for the next week, but Tojo had given up on peace. By the beginning of
December he had made the decision to deliver a decisive first blow against the United States.
DOCUMENT PACKET
Document 1
In the aftermath of World War I, Japan was faced with pressure from its
allies in World War I to limit its military capacity, and thus the dynamic of
Japanese-American relations was changed.
Vocabulary
mounted: grew, continued
sentiment: feeling
capital: warships, major naval vessels
dissolved: separated, no longer working together
Source: Excerpt from Japan in Modern History, Junior High School
Textbooks. Tokyo: International Society for Educational Information, 1994,
477. Located in Lindaman and Ward, History Lessons. New York: The New
Press, 2004, 234.
Document 2
In this passage, the Japanese explain their motivation for their continued
expansion into Southeast Asia.
Vocabulary
Deadlock: stalemate, impasse
Source: Excerpt from Japan in Modern History, Junior High School
Textbooks. Tokyo: International Society for Educational Information, 1994,
477. Located in Lindaman and Ward, History Lessons. New York: The New
Press, 2004, 235.
Document 3
Japan explains why the United States and other western countries
continued to act in a way that was inconsistent with its own needs, and thus
the reason why Japan attacked Pearl Harbor.
Vocabulary
antagonism: hostility
restrictions: limitations
Source: Excerpt from Japan in Modern History, Junior High School
Textbooks. Tokyo: International Society for Educational Information, 1994,
477. Located in Lindaman and Ward, History Lessons. New York: The New
Press, 2004, 235.
Some of the language and phrasing in these documents have been
modified from the originals.
CAPTURE SHEET
Why did Japan attack the United States
at Pearl Harbor?
Directions: Complete the T-Chart
outlining the similarities and
differences between the U.S. and
Japanese textbook accounts of why the
attack at Pearl Harbor occurred.
U. S. Textbook
Japanese Textbook
What both texts have in common:
Analyzing the Texts
Independent Analysis: U.S. Text
1. What details in the text indicate that Japan and America were on friendly terms?
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
2. What details in the text indicate that there might be tensions between the U.S.
and Japan? _________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
3. What disagreement(s) existed between the United States and Japan, according to
the text? ____________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
4. Does the text mention any specific reasons why the U.S. might have been
concerned about Japan's activities in Asia? ________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
Synthesized Analysis: Japanese Text vs. U.S. Text
From Document #1
5. How might Japan have considered the restriction on their naval capacity?_____
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
6. What details are missing from this passage that would provide a better
understanding of the Japanese position on the issues presented?*_______________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
7. What would explain the Japanese inclusion of these details in their text, in
comparison to the U.S. text which does not reference these events at all?*________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
From Document #2
8. What information is missing that would explain why the Japanese needed to "cut
off the route by which the Allies were supplying aid to China"?*________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
9. Why did Japan need a new source of resources?__________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
From Document #3
10. Why was a neutrality pact necessary with the Soviet Union in 1941?* ________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
11. What details in the Japanese text are excluded by the U.S. text? What might
explain this difference? ________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
*Expository Essay: In three to five paragraphs, write an essay in which you
explain the reasons for the attack on Pearl Harbor, using both the U.S. and
Japanese text excerpts and account for the discrepancies between the two
accounts.
Author's Note: * questions are designed for higher level students and can be
eliminated from analysis sheet for special needs and/or ELL students
Scoring Rubric
4
-Answers all analysis questions
- Uses examples from text in each written responses
-completed t-chart with ≥6 similarities/5 differences between U.S. and
Japanese text
3
-Answers 75% of analysis questions
-Uses examples from text in 75% of the written responses
-completed t-chart with ≥4 similarities/3 differences between U.S. and
Japanese text
2
-Answers 50% of analysis questions
-Uses examples from text in 50% of the written responses
-completed t-chart with ≥3 similarities/2 differences between the U.S. and
Japanese text
1
-Answers less than 50% of analysis questions
-Uses examples from text in less than 50% of the written responses
-completed t-chart with ≤2 similarities/1 difference between the U.S. and
Japanese text